"Popular Song" is a song by British singer-songwriter Mika, released as the second single in the United States from his third studio album, The Origin of Love. "Popular Song" is also on Ariana Grande's album, Yours Truly. The song features American singer and actress Ariana Grande. The track was written by Mika, Priscilla Renea, Mathieu Jomphe and Stephen Schwartz, and produced by Mika and Greg Wells.

The song is an updated cover of the original version, as featured in the musical Wicked. The album version of the song features vocals from the original songwriter, Priscilla Renea, and features low-level expletives, as featured in Wicked. However, the single version removes Renea and replaces her with Ariana Grande, removes the expletives, and completely changes the instrumental arrangement and tempo, to create a version which heavily links to Mika's former hits, "Grace Kelly" and "We Are Golden".

Contents

Background

The original version of the song was made available on Mika's third studio album, The Origin of Love, and features vocals from songwriter Priscilla Renea. This version is heavily based on the original from Wicked, and uses a very rough tempo and instrumentation, to fit in with the theme of the album. It also used the expletives 'b****' and 's***'. However, for the track's release as a single, Mika decided to completely change the arrangement, and create something similar to his hit single "Grace Kelly". To do this, he enlisted the help of American actress and performer Ariana Grande, rewrote some of the lyrics to remove the expletives, changed the instrumentation and tempo, and reworked the song's structure.

The new version was released to the iTunes Store on December 21, 2012, being released as the album's second single in the United States. It subsequently peaked at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Mika's second most successful song in the region, following "Grace Kelly". It has not been revealed if the track will be released as a single elsewhere.

Music video

The music video was first confirmed by Mika on February 16, 2013.[1] The music video was released on April 29, 2013. It follows a gothic theme, being set in a 'spooky, dark, "Addams Family"-esque high school'. Mika texts an invite to a dinner party to his popular classmates who are bullying him and Grande. This is interlaced with scenes of the two brewing a potion in a witch's cauldron and scenes of them falling victim to bullying. Mika and Grande later prepare to return to the former's mansion in his talking car. At the dinner party, the bullies consume their drinks drugged with the potion, and turn to stone. They are then smashed into pieces. The video ends with a twist, as Mika and Grande have a toast and the former takes a sip from his drink, the video flashes back to when the two were children and Mika is seen kicking down Grande's castle made of wooden blocks. Mika subsequently turns to stone as well.

Critical reception

Bryon Flitsch of MTV's Buzzworthy noted that "Popular Song" is a different view of Mika's previous efforts, stating that its "peppy beat + catchy melody + playful lyrics = perfect song to bounce around to." Furthermore, Flitsch also praised Grande's vocals in the song for being "flawless" alongside Mika's. Marques Daniels of Examiner devise that "Popular Song" is a song to inspire bullied and unpopular people to stand up. Daniels also praised the song for being a stand out track.

Gallery

"I'll give you all I have and nothing less, I promise."To view the Popular Song gallery, click here.

Trivia

Lyrics

Ariana:
La la, la la
You were the popular one, the popular chick
It is what it is, now I'm popular-ishMIKA:
Standing on the field with your pretty pompoms
Now you're working at the movie selling popular corn
I could have been a mess but I never went wrong
'Cause I'm putting down my story in a popular songAriana:
La la, la laBoth:
I said I'm putting down my story in a popular song

My problem, I never was a model,
I never was a scholar,
But you were always popular,
You were singing, all the songs I don't know
Now you're in the front row
'Cause my song is popular

PopularMIKA:
I know about popularBoth:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
PopularMIKA:
I know about popularBoth:
And all that you have to do, is be true to you
That's all you ever need to know
So catch up, 'cause you got an awful long way to go
So catch up, 'cause you got an awful long way to go

Ariana:
Always was on the lookout for someone to hateBoth:
Picking on me like a dinner plateAriana:
You'd hit during classes and in between themBoth:
Dunk me in the toilets now it's you that cleans em'MIKA:
You tried to make me feel bad with the things you do
It ain't so funny when the joke's on youBoth:
OohAriana:
The joke's on you
Got everyone's laughingBoth:
Got everyone clapping, asking
How come you look so cool?
'Cause that's the only thing that I learnt at school, boy
I said that's the only thing I learnt at school

My problem, I never was a model,
I never was a scholar,
But you were always popular,
You were singing, all the songs I don't know
Now you're in the front row
'Cause my song is popular

PopularMIKA:
I know about popularBoth:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
PopularMIKA:
I know about popularBoth:
And all that you have to do, is be true to you
That's all you ever need to know
So catch up, cause you got an awful long way to go
So catch up, cause you got an awful long way to go

All you ever need to know
You're only ever who you were
All you ever need to know
You're only ever who you were

PopularMIKA:
I know about popularBoth:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
PopularMIKA:
I know about popularBoth:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
PopularMIKA:
I know about popularBoth:
And all that you have to do, is be true to you.
That's all you ever need to knowAriana:
That's all you ever need to know